Former President Donald Trump filled Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27—the first rally held at the arena in decades. The ticketed, first-come, first-served event drew lines that started early in the morning.
Polls show a close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and the energy inside and outside the rally in Manhattan reflected that.
“I am voting for Donald Trump; I would like to see honesty, our borders closed, prices go down for food and eggs for our elderly and hard-working Americans. I would really like to see, too, no wars going on, our economy in better shape,” said Dawn Daraio, 60, a Queens resident who cheered Trump on from an elevated surface in front of the arena at W. 33rd St and 8th Ave.
The rally took place just nine days before the U.S. presidential election, with Trump running on the Republican ticket against Harris, the Democratic candidate. Harris held her own rally the same day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —a crucial swing state with significant influence on the election outcome. New York, a solidly blue state that hasn’t backed a Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan, offers little prospect for a Trump victory in the general election.
At its peak before the arena reached capacity, the line spanned several blocks, all the way to 6th Ave, with tens of thousands in attendance. Trump was scheduled to speak at 5 p.m, and even once the arena reached capacity, many remained outside in support and to rally Trump.
– Supporters gathered along 33rd St. in anticipation of entering the venue but were turned away before Trump was slated to speak due to reaching capacity. (Credit: Edward Grattan)
Meanwhile, inside the arena, as the crowd awaited Trump, several Republicans addressed the audience, including vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former first lady and Trump’s wife Melania Trump.
Other speakers, such as comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, radio host Sid Rosenberg, and television personality Tucker Carlson, also took the stage. Hinchcliffe made a joke about Puerto Rico that overshadowed much of the rally’s news and sparked a larger discussion about whether the Republican Party values Puerto Rico and its people. Trump finally took the stage at around 7 p.m.
“I just want to say thank you to a very special place, New York, and to a very special arena, Madison Square Garden,” said Trump as he opened up his speech. “And then we have all the people [outside] that could fill it up ten times.”
“This will be America’s new golden age, it is going to happen quickly too, very quickly, every problem facing us can be solved,” added Trump in his speech.
Although the election is nearing and many states have already begun early voting, campaigning is as important as ever, with the latest CBS poll predicting a close race that Harris is leading Trump by only 1 point among likely voters.
Dozens of Harris supporters also gathered at the rally, occupying the stairs outside Penn Station. They held signs with messages like “traitor” and “criminal,” while chanting slogans that criticized Trump’s character.
“Trump’s a fascist,” the counter protesters chanted.
